Blackbird teams summited Gran Paradiso, the highest mountain in Italy, with excellent conditions. The climb was part of their preparations for an attempt on Mont Blanc later this week.
With a solid overnight freeze, our team enjoyed firm snow conditions and efficient cramponing. Unfortunately, the warmth of the previous week created deep sun cups that made ascent and descent a bit more challenging. Despite the roughness and firm snow, there were still a few skiers on Gran Paradiso giving the peak a few ski descents late in June.
Climb Mont Blanc & Gran Paradiso with Blackbird Mountain Guides
Our IFMGA guides know all about the best approaches to climbing Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso and our office team will sort out all of the logistics for you! From trains, cable cars and buses to hut bookings, start times and hazards on the route, our team will make sure everything runs as smoothly as it can on the mountain.
The best way prepare for Mont Blanc is to do a few days of Private Climbing with us or climb Gran Paradiso with us prior to summit attempt. This will help you acclimatize to the altitude and ensure that your skills are sharp before we rope up together and climb the highest peak in Western Europe!
Book ahead - Huts Sell Out extremely quickly and our guide team has limited availability! The best chance of success is to book a full year in advance to get the optimal times for hut reservations in the prime climbing season.
Climb Mont Blanc with Us!
We're happy to answer any questions you might have about the climb or our guides so reach out today!
About the Author
Zeb Blais is an IFMGA Mountain Guide based in Truckee California. He loves all the disciplines of mountain guiding - ski, rock and alpine climbing - and tries to spend as much time as he can in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. He has summitted and skied Mont Blanc 8 times via 3 routes and loves showing his clients the splendor of Europe's highest peak.